Comic dollars sold in to comic stores were up a robust 9% in October over the same month in 2007, although it appears to us that October may have been a five week month for Diamond shipping.Still, September and October were the first up months for comic sales since January, so periodical comics appear to be a bright spot in an otherwise dismal economy.

The gains weren’t in circulations at the top of the chart, where most titles were down.But ten of the top 25 books were $3.99 this October, compared to only two $3.99 books in October of 2007, so price increases are certainly a factor.Another is strength at the bottom of the chart, where the #300 title clocked over 4,200 copies, vs. just 3,000 copies for the #300 title a year ago.

Sales on the top 100 graphic novels were up 5% vs. the same group in October of 2007, for an overall 8% increase in dollars in the top 300 comics and top 100 graphic novels combined.

In an economy where “flat is the new up,” it’s great to see a bright spot in sales of pop culture products.We recall the late early 80s, perhaps the last time that unemployment hit the levels we seem to be headed toward, as a robust growth period for comics.Here’s hoping that the same trend holds true this time.

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